How to Understand Dyslexia
Notice a difficulty learning rhyming patterns., Observe difficulty with letter recognition., Notice avoidance of reading out loud., Observe difficulty in speaking fluidly., Be aware of organizational challenges., Know that dyslexia means difficulty...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Notice a difficulty learning rhyming patterns.
In preschool children, the first sign of dyslexia a parent or caregiver might notice is that the child doesn’t easily pick up on nursery rhymes.
For example, “Jack and Jill/went up the hill…” is an easy rhyme that most children find easy to memorize.
A child who has dyslexia may not find this easy or simple.Rhyming words, such as cat, bat, rat, might not be noticed by a preschooler with dyslexia.
You might notice a child who has dyslexia showing reluctance or difficulty with rhyming games. -
Step 2: Observe difficulty with letter recognition.
A child with dyslexia might have a hard time seeing that b and d are different letters.
A preschool or early elementary student might not recognize the letters of his own name.The child might not connect the sound of the letter with its shape.
You might notice that the child relies on the pictures of a text rather than the words.
For example, the child might say “puppy” in reference to the word dog, relying on the picture rather than the letters d-o-g. , Even if the child has learned to read, difficulties may persist well into teen years.
While most students may be able to “sound out” or “take a guess” at the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word, a student with dyslexia is unlikely to be able to do this.Learning foreign languages is likely to be very difficult for a student who has dyslexia, and he will probably avoid speaking aloud in these courses.
The student may have a hard time seeing or hearing the differences between words. , Many people with dyslexia pause frequently as they speak.
You might notice them saying, “Um….” or appearing nervous as they speak aloud.
They might seem to struggle to retrieve the appropriate word, or use more general terminology, such as “stuff” or “things” rather than the proper names.Their spoken vocabulary is often much smaller than their listening vocabulary.
They may understand much more of what’s being said than they can express.
Despite an average or above-average intelligence, they may have difficulty participating in class. , Someone with dyslexia is likely to have weaker organizational abilities.
These might show themselves through difficulties in ordering things sequentially.
Their handwriting is often awkward and hard to decipher.They might seem to have poor time management, or difficulties organizing herself in relation to an expected time frame or deadline.
Someone who has dyslexia may have a different concept of time than other people.
You might notice that someone who has dyslexia is frequently late to appointments, or even miss them altogether despite good intentions. , This means that reading ability is not a sign of intelligence, or lack of intelligence, in a child who has dyslexia.
Most children with dyslexia have average or above-average intellectual abilities.
Just keep in mind that a person’s reading ability isn’t an accurate reflection of his intelligence.You might start to notice other signs of intelligence often associated with dyslexia, such as creativity and excellent abstract thinking skills.
Often you might start to see strong skills developing in non-reading areas, such as computers, visual arts, music or sports. , If a person has unidentified dyslexia, chances are she has developed a good number of coping strategies to minimize the struggles she has with reading.Some examples are:
Someone who has dyslexia might be better at finding clues in pictures or illustrations to grasp content.
A person who has dyslexia might be more able than most students to learn from listening to a presentation.
She might even memorize what people say as a means of not having to write it down.
A student who has dyslexia might be more attentive than most to what teachers and classmates are saying. -
Step 3: Notice avoidance of reading out loud.
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Step 4: Observe difficulty in speaking fluidly.
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Step 5: Be aware of organizational challenges.
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Step 6: Know that dyslexia means difficulty reading at the expected level.
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Step 7: Pay attention to coping skills in teens and adults.
Detailed Guide
In preschool children, the first sign of dyslexia a parent or caregiver might notice is that the child doesn’t easily pick up on nursery rhymes.
For example, “Jack and Jill/went up the hill…” is an easy rhyme that most children find easy to memorize.
A child who has dyslexia may not find this easy or simple.Rhyming words, such as cat, bat, rat, might not be noticed by a preschooler with dyslexia.
You might notice a child who has dyslexia showing reluctance or difficulty with rhyming games.
A child with dyslexia might have a hard time seeing that b and d are different letters.
A preschool or early elementary student might not recognize the letters of his own name.The child might not connect the sound of the letter with its shape.
You might notice that the child relies on the pictures of a text rather than the words.
For example, the child might say “puppy” in reference to the word dog, relying on the picture rather than the letters d-o-g. , Even if the child has learned to read, difficulties may persist well into teen years.
While most students may be able to “sound out” or “take a guess” at the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word, a student with dyslexia is unlikely to be able to do this.Learning foreign languages is likely to be very difficult for a student who has dyslexia, and he will probably avoid speaking aloud in these courses.
The student may have a hard time seeing or hearing the differences between words. , Many people with dyslexia pause frequently as they speak.
You might notice them saying, “Um….” or appearing nervous as they speak aloud.
They might seem to struggle to retrieve the appropriate word, or use more general terminology, such as “stuff” or “things” rather than the proper names.Their spoken vocabulary is often much smaller than their listening vocabulary.
They may understand much more of what’s being said than they can express.
Despite an average or above-average intelligence, they may have difficulty participating in class. , Someone with dyslexia is likely to have weaker organizational abilities.
These might show themselves through difficulties in ordering things sequentially.
Their handwriting is often awkward and hard to decipher.They might seem to have poor time management, or difficulties organizing herself in relation to an expected time frame or deadline.
Someone who has dyslexia may have a different concept of time than other people.
You might notice that someone who has dyslexia is frequently late to appointments, or even miss them altogether despite good intentions. , This means that reading ability is not a sign of intelligence, or lack of intelligence, in a child who has dyslexia.
Most children with dyslexia have average or above-average intellectual abilities.
Just keep in mind that a person’s reading ability isn’t an accurate reflection of his intelligence.You might start to notice other signs of intelligence often associated with dyslexia, such as creativity and excellent abstract thinking skills.
Often you might start to see strong skills developing in non-reading areas, such as computers, visual arts, music or sports. , If a person has unidentified dyslexia, chances are she has developed a good number of coping strategies to minimize the struggles she has with reading.Some examples are:
Someone who has dyslexia might be better at finding clues in pictures or illustrations to grasp content.
A person who has dyslexia might be more able than most students to learn from listening to a presentation.
She might even memorize what people say as a means of not having to write it down.
A student who has dyslexia might be more attentive than most to what teachers and classmates are saying.
About the Author
Deborah Gibson
Experienced content creator specializing in lifestyle guides and tutorials.
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